Ashen Dragon

And such a terrifying disaster, at its root, was merely a tentative probing between Cassius and Koschech.

Neither side had truly started a war; they were merely creating conditions more favorable for themselves, observing each other's reactions, and waiting for the ideal opportunity to strike.

"Such a strong elemental control ability, it's actually putting me at an invisible disadvantage..."

Feeling the engulfing chill, Cassius frowned slightly, unable to help but exclaim, "Then let me play with you properly!"

"Roar—"

The Red Dragon let out a roar, suddenly extending its neck and opening its deadly jaws, an extremely dazzling light emerging from deep within its throat, with particles of magic fission dancing in the dragon crystal in its chest.

Primordial Breath!

"Boom!"

The sky was torn apart by a massive pillar of fire, its outer flames orange-red while the inner flames were an intense blue-white, dyeing the skyline red.

The pillar of fire pierced through the storm, traversed the fire wall where energies converged, and with tremendous energy, shot explosively towards the Frost Giant.

"Foolish beast."

Koschech sneered coldly, calmly extending his broad hand, as the glow of ancient runes flowed across his gray skin.

Soon, an endless chill rushed towards the Frost Giant, condensing in front of him into a gigantic and solid ice wall, like a fortress of ice hanging high in the sky.

"Boom!"

The pillar of fire slammed into the ice wall, instantly melting its surface, and before the melting snow could fall, it evaporated into mist, creating a pale curtain.

In the vicinity of the Sword Bay Region, there are several famous cities, such as Waterdeep City, Elturel, and Neverwinter City. Waterdeep City is built on the site of the Elven Empire Ilfaen's capital—Erin Vier—home to numerous divine temples. The Miracle Temple is the grandest Magic Goddess Temple in the game, featuring lavish towers, tapestries, and magical decorations in a magnificent Baroque style. Neverwinter City leans more towards Gothic architecture and has developed from one of the earliest human settlements, Aegostor, over nearly a century. The main city of the story, Bod Gate, is the largest and most prosperous trade city-state in the Sword Bay Region, with a mix of nobles and commoners, adventurers and thieves, often called the "breeding ground for conspiracies" by adventurers. The name Bod Gate comes from a hero, the Grey Port adventurer Bodlan, who explored lands beyond the Sword Sea, returned to Grey Port with wealth, and led his team to establish the city.

Based on the status of its residents, Bod Gate is divided into the Upper City for nobles, the Lower District for commoners, and the Outer City District scattered around Chenyi Mountain. The gate that separates the Upper and Lower Cities is called Bod Gate, giving the city its name and serving as a monument to its founder, Bodlan.

Currently, Bod Gate is ruled by a council of four, all of whom are Great Dukes. One serves as the council leader, and if the vote is tied, the Great Duke Elder Ravenclaw makes the decision. The Upper City's security is managed by an elite official police force called the Guard, while the other areas are policed by a mercenary group known as the Flaming Fist. Elder Ravenclaw is also the highest leader of the mercenary group, whose headquarters, Bodlan Sea Tower, is Bod Gate's strongest fortress against maritime invasions. As the crescent moon encloses Bod Gate's economic lifeblood—Gray Harbor—hundreds of merchant ships come and go daily, bringing gold coins and also greed and corruption.

The Upper City, situated on elevated terrain, consists of the Castle District, Temple District, Manoburn District, and Wide Alley District, with numerous religious structures. The Miracle Hall and Supreme Miracle House serve as the Church's centers dedicated to the God of Craft, Gund. Miracle Hall showcases Gund's great inventions, while Supreme Miracle House functions also as a workshop. The Lower City mainly consists of stone houses across six districts: Sea Tower District, Blonrich District, Steep District, Crowded Side District, East Road District, and Branpton District. The Blonrich District, adjacent to the Upper City's noble quarter, generally houses the middle class, while the East Road District, near the Stone Lizard Gate connecting the Outer District, is more heterogeneous, with many lively bars and cheap inns. The Flaming Fist Mercenary Corps is stationed in the Sea Tower District, with the mercenary headquarters, Bodlan Sea Tower, built on the largest rocky offshore island close by. Branpton and Steep Districts are relatively run-down, home to sailors and laborers. The Outer City District stretches along the Chongsar River, with temporary buildings and slums. A landmark structure, a stone bridge known as the Flying Dragon Crossroad spans across the Chongsar River, crowded with vendors; they've even extended the bridge's surface with wooden planks, adding several structures atop. Law and order scarcely exist here, and even the Flaming Fist's protective range is significantly limited. Destitute individuals and criminals unable to find a place within the city often gather here.

In the dim phosphorescent light under the vaulted sewer, moss gave off a ghostly green gleam. Murky sewage swelled past the boot soles as each step stirred a viscous "gurgle." Thick, purple-black ooze seeped through cracks in the walls, converging like veins toward the drainage outlets—a unique neurological corrosive agent of the Spirit Sucking Monster Nest. Inhaling it induces auditory hallucinations among ordinary people, as if countless tiny tendrils wiggled within their ear canals. Suddenly, from behind a fractured iron pipe came the sound of bone dislocation, like something contorting and squeezing through a tight space. As three patrolling guards raised their lanterns, the sewage suddenly burst open! Four Spirit Sucking Monsters emerged violently from beneath the water, their pale, humanoid bodies wrapped in decomposition, octopus-like head tendrils quivering at high-frequency vibrations, emitting visible purple mind shock wave ripples. The foremost guard's helmet dented under increased cranial pressure, his eyeball bursting into a bloody mist; before the second guard could scream, tendrils pierced there, spine drawn out of the body like a marionette. The sole survivor staggered, his flaming gun's thunder drowned entirely as the Spirit Sucking Monsters collectively shrieked at sub-frequencies. These monsters seemed trained in tactics. Two made feigned assaults, tendrils slapping the water surface to form a corrosive liquid mist, blinding visibility; the third hung down from the ceiling, using suckers to latch onto the guard's skull, the tendril tips skillfully piercing the occipital foramen—not killing immediately, but manipulating the captive like a puppet to turn and nervously reload a gun for its cohorts. Meanwhile, the fourth Spirit Sucking Monster, using bone blades on its finger joints, sliced open a toppled guard's chest, dug out a warm liver into its mouthpiece, and pale yellow digestive liquid dripped from its mandible, corroding the floor with wisps of green smoke. The parasite had not completely perished. Suddenly, the guard's ravaged corpse convulsed to life, neck wounds leaking out semi-transparent Spirit Sucking Monster larva tendrils, pupils spreading into cloudy white. He grabbed the dagger and thrust it at his former comrades, producing inhuman synthetic sounds from the throat, "Skull… for the main brain...". The true horror had only just begun—distant sewage ponds started to boil, more pale figures surfaced, dragging with their tendrils a dozen captives wrapped in cocoons of mucus, their human faces twisted into silent screams beneath the covered shells. When the last gunfire abated, the sewers were plunged back into silence. Only lifeless uniforms floated, dissolving in tendrils of smoke as the resigning breaths met the air. The parasitized were not entirely dead. The guard's tattered body suddenly twitched upright, tendrils rooting from the neck fissure and eyes turning into a turbid milky white. He grabbed a dagger, aiming it at his fellow companion, who was painfully spasming, as though manipulated by strings to help reload his captor's musket. Inside the main mind's psychic network, the coordinates of these new hosts were translating into a cold string of purple light, streaming toward the throbbing massive shadow under Bod Gate.